


How Am I Gonna Get Myself Back Home

by iamirondad



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gun Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-27 01:31:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 11,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13870218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamirondad/pseuds/iamirondad
Summary: Eight years after the fall of the Last City, Thomas decides it is time to leave the Safe Haven and help the people they left behind. It is also a perfect time for Frypan and Brenda to show their daughter the world outside of the Safe Haven. Thomas is separated from the group and reunited with someone he thought he would never see alive again.Eventual Newtmas





	1. Help Us

** Help Us **

Every morning was the same for Thomas, and it had been for many years. He’d wake early, and sit on the beach, with his legs curled to his chest. He watched the ocean and the sky wake up. The view never bored him, on the contrary, it calmed him. It reminded him that he, and his friends made it to a safe space, where they didn’t have to fight evil, or spend every night worried about not making it another week alive. It had been eight years since they took down WCKED, and everything had changed for the gladers. The only evidence that Thomas had aged was his long shaggy hair, and the slight stubble on his cheeks. Other than that he was the same as he had been the day the last city fell.

His morning peace was shattered by a child, skipping towards him and calling out in excitement, Thomas braced himself for the impact, as the child jumped and wrapped her frame around Thomas’s back, her legs around his torso, and her hands around his chest, “Morning Georgina.”

“Morning Uncle Thomas,” the girl laughed, hugging him close. Georgina had light brown skin, and a smile that could warm anybody’s heart. Thomas would sometimes have bad days, where his mind would wander to Newt, Teresa and everyone else he had lost, but one long at his honorable niece, and his day was better. “What are you doing?”

“Looking at the sea, what are you doing?” Thomas asked, holding her hands on his chest.

“Sitting on your back,” she told him.

Thomas let out a prolonged ‘oooooo’ before laughing, he stood up, making sure she was secure on his back, “Where’s your Mum and Dad?”

“Back there with Uncle Gally,” Georgina pointed.

“Oh,” Thomas smiled, “What fun are we going to have today?”

“Into the sea!” Georgina shouted, pointing.

“Again?” Thomas quizzed.

“Again!” Georgina exclaimed.

“Okay,” Thomas ran into the sea, the waves brushing up against his legs, soaking his shoes and trousers, but it didn't phase him, not when he heard thunderous laughter from Georgina. He remembered fondly when Georgina was born, because she was the first child of the Safe Haven, and everybody loved her. She was almost five years old, and there were only four children on the island, and the other three were under the age of two, so Georgina didn’t have many friends to play with.

“What’s that?” Georgina pointed to something floating in the sea.

Thomas crouched down, picking it up, “It’s a plastic bottle,” he told her, he noticed there was a rolled up piece of paper in it, “Should we see if breakfast is ready?”

“Yes!” Georgina beamed. Thomas ran up the hill, keeping a firm grip on his niece and the bottle, as he ran through the village, people were starting to wake up, they all greeted Georgina and Thomas with a chorus of “good mornings.” Georgina made sure she replied to everyone by name.

“She found you then,” Frypan said, he was stood by the fire cooking breakfast for the island.

“He was in the same place as always, Daddy,” Georgina mocked, she jumped down from Thomas’s back, and ran over to Frypan, locking her arms around his leg, “Can I have some bacon please?”

“Maybe,” Frypan said, ruffling her hair with his hand.

“There you all are,” Brenda’s sleepy voice spoke, she was still in her pajamas, she stretched her arms out, “You okay, Thomas?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, he saw her studying his soaking wet trousers, “Georgina wanted me to run into the sea.”

“You’d do anything for her,” Brenda rolled her eyes, “But we all would,” she chuckled, walking over to Frypan, Georgina was still sat on his foot, “Did you make Uncle Thomas go into the sea again?” Brenda asked, picking her up off her Dad’s leg.

“Yes, Mummy,” Georgina answered, nodding. “We had fun!” She exclaimed.

“Yes, we did,” Thomas nodded, standing by Frypan’s fire, trying to get dry. He looked down at the bottle he had found in the ocean, he pulled the tab off, taking out the small note.

“What is that?” Brenda asked.

“I don’t know, Georgina found it in the sea,” Thomas unfolded the note, and his stomach sank. The piece of a paper was not a letter, it was just two simple words, ‘ ** _Save us_**.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to variabledog on Tumblr for being my beta-reader!!!


	2. Time To Go

**Time To Go**

Thomas and Minho had spoken of leaving the Safe Haven to go and see what was left of the rest of the world many times. When the note came, Thomas decided right there and then that he was leaving, with or without his friends. “This is ridiculous!” Minho shouted. They were both stood in Thomas’s bunk, where he was packing away his stuff, “You can't just leave with no warning, or idea about what you are getting yourself into.”

“Minho, we have spoken about leaving before!” Thomas shouted.

“That was a long time ago!” Minho told him, “even before Georgina was born.”

“Look, my blood is a cure,” Thomas pointed out, “and I’m here when I should be helping the rest of the damn world!”

“You owe this world nothing,” Minho snapped, “Stop being a daft shank and talk to me.”

“I have to go,” Thomas told him, “if I let people out there die, then it will just be--”

“Just be what?” Minho asked, his friend shrugged, “Go on.”

“Every person who dies because of the Flare is just another Newt!” Thomas shouted, “Or Winston,” he got closer to his friend, and quietened his voice, “Newt died because I couldn’t hold on for another thirty seconds for Brenda to come around with the serum. Thirty seconds, if I had not pushed him back with the force I did, he wouldn’t have died with his own dagger buried in his chest.”

“His death is not only on you,” Minho told him.

“I have to do this.” Thomas said, swinging his back over his chest, “I have the supplies from Vince to transfer my blood to people, I can save them.”

“Fry’s right about you,” Minho sighed, “You have to be a hero.”

“This is not about being a hero,” Thomas said, walking past him, “This is about doing what is right.”

“I know someone else who said that,” Minho told him, Thomas turned around, “Teresa, when she betrayed us.”

“I’m not betraying you by leaving.” Thomas sighed, rubbing the brim of his nose.

“We know,” Brenda’s voice came from behind him; he span to see Frypan, Gally, and Georgina, “That’s why we’re coming with you.”

“You’re coming with me?” Thomas questioned.

“Yes,” Minho told him, walking past him, “You’d never survive a day without us. Trust me.”

“What about Georgina?” Thomas asked.

“She wants to see what the world is like outside this island,” Frypan explained, “And we’ll come straight home if we don’t think it’s safe for her out there.”

“And she’s attached to you,” Brenda shrugged, “We can’t separate her from her Uncle Thomas now, can we?” Thomas looked at Georgina, who was stood in-between her parents, she smiled at him, and he beamed back.

“Okay, then let’s get going,” Thomas said.

They all walked down to the harbor where Vince and Jorge stood with their arms crossed, “You aren’t going anywhere _hermano_ ,” Jorge pointed at Thomas, “None of you are.”

“Jorge, we’ve been here for so long,” Thomas told him.

“You’re not leaving!” Jorge shouted.

“Jorge,” Brenda walked forward, holding his arms, “I hate to break this to you, but we’re adults now. I mean I got married, and I’ve had a kid, so you should already know that.” She joked, “We’re going to be okay. WCKED are gone, and we just want to save people. We’re coming back.”

“I’ll come with you…” Jorge sighed.

“Yeah, but you’re needed here right now,” Brenda smiled.

“If you need to do this, then do it, but you take care of yourself, and her,” Jorge gestured to Georgina, “And you come home.”

“We will,” Brenda beamed, “Come on Georgina, say goodbye.”

Georgina leaped forward, colliding with Jorge’s leg. “Bye Grandad!” She cried.

“Hey,” Jorge sniffled, picking her up, “You going to be a good girl?” She nodded, “Are you going to take care of your parents and uncles?”

“Yes,” she told him, “You have---have to lo--ok after ev-eryone else,” she stumbled over the words as she cried, but Jorge understood her.

“I promise,” Jorge told her, he placed her down on the ground and ran back to his bunk, he took out a folded piece of red cloth. He raced back, handing it over to Georgina, “It’s your birthday soon, take this with you.”

Brenda looked closely, and her breath hitched, she gripped onto Frypan’s shirt, “Is that---?” she stuttered.

“The blanket I found an abandoned seven-year-old wrapped in almost twenty years ago?” Jorge questioned, Brenda nodded, “Yeah.”

“Have you lot got everything?” Vince asked the group as Brenda took Jorge into a hug.

“Yeah,” Thomas nodded.

“And remember, no more than one pint every five or six weeks,” Vince told him, “Or you’ll kill yourself, but remember what we did here. A drop of blood can cure one person, you're full of a powerful cure.”

“I’ll be careful,” Thomas reassured him.

“I will,” Vince tapped his back, “Good luck, all of you.”

Gally jumped onto a small boat they’d been given, firing the engine up. Minho waved at Vince and Jorge, “See you later, shanks,” he said jumping onto the boat.

Brenda picked her daughter up, and they both waved to Jorge, getting onto the boat, with Frypan trailing behind. “Hey Thomas!” Aris waved from the top of the hill, he ran down, “Leaving without saying goodbye?”

“It’s what we do best, sadly,” Thomas sighed, “I heard you want to stay here.”

“Well, the fighting skills that I teach with the girls are very important,” Aris smiled, “See you later though.”

“Definitely,” Thomas nodded, he climbed onto the boat, sitting down. Georgina escaped her mother’s grasp, and sat down on his lap.

“We’re on the sea now,” she told him.

“Better than being in it with trousers on,” Thomas grinned, “Ready for an adventure?”

“Yeah!” Georgina exclaimed.

 


	3. Bedtime Stories

**Bedtime Stories**

“I think I saw a shark,” Georgina said, she was sat on her Dad’s shoulders, looking down at the ocean.

“Do you know what a shark looks like?” Thomas asked, chuckling.

“No,” Georgina shook her head, “But I saw one.”

“Are we nearly there?” Minho asked.

“About another ten minutes,” Gally told him, “we’ve only been on this thing for three hours, and you have moaned the whole way.”

“Three hours is a long time with Georgina commentating the entire ride,” Minho said.

“That’s my daughter,” Brenda snapped, glaring at him.

“Sorry,” Minho sat up straight, knowing he was now in Brenda’s bad books, and that was never a good thing.

“Down now please,” Georgina yawned, her Dad placed her on the floor of the boat, and she sat down, leaning into Thomas, “Can you tell me a story please?”

“Right now?” Thomas asked.

“Yes!” Georgina nodded.

“Which one?” Thomas questioned, wrapping his arm around her.

“Your first day in the Glade!” She exclaimed.

“I like this one,” Minho said.

“Shush,” Georgina told him, and he listened, as she was as scary as her Mother.

“I woke up in an elevator,” Thomas started, “Which is a moving platform which allows someone to go up and down in a building. I didn’t know why I was there or who I was. I was really scared, it was dark and I didn’t know where I was going. Then, with a loud bang, it stopped, and the doors over my head opened to reveal a group of boys standing over me.” He told her, “This stupid shank...called…umm, Gally.”

“Slim it!” Gally shouted.

“He told me it was my first day in the Glade, and he picked me up by my shirt, pulling me up, and dumping me in this group of boys,” Thomas said.

“That is very rude Uncle Gally,” Georgina said, shaking her head.

“Sorry,” Gally mumbled.

“That’s when I saw your Dad for the first time,” Thomas said, “And he was laughing at me, and telling me I could work with him in the kitchen.”

“Then you ran off!” Frypan mocked.

“Who is telling this story?” Thomas asked, “I ran off, the fastest I think I have ever run, and tripped over. Two gladers took me and locked me up in this makeshift cell for greenies. That’s when I met Alby. He told me not to be scared, and that helped a great deal because these shanks just laughed at me when I arrived somewhere I had never been before.”

“It was the same greeting most of us came up to,” Gally told him.

“Carry on!” Georgina shouted.

“Then Alby introduced me to…” Thomas stopped, eight years didn’t make Newt’s death any easier to bear, he was gone and it hurt more with time. “Newt. He was very chatty, and I remember he was the first person I met and remembered. He just seemed familiar. I knew everyone before the maze, but I didn’t remember them. There was something about Uncle Newt that I couldn’t quite place my finger on.”

“Did you ever get your memories back?” Georgina asked.

“Sometimes I think I have,” Thomas told her, “But I can’t tell what is a memory or what is a dream,” he said, rubbing her arm.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Gally said, “But we’re here.”

Brenda jumped up, looking at the land; Georgina leaped forward, but Brenda caught her, covering her eyes with both of her hands. “Mummy, let go!” Georgina shouted, “I wanna see!”

“One minute honey,” she said, she gestured for all the boys to look out of the boat. They all jumped up, and looked out.

The surface of the docks, and the roads ahead were full of dead Cranks piled on top of one another, “What the hell?” Minho said. “What happened?”

“WCKED was right, they’re dying out.” Thomas said, “And with it, everyone without the cure will die out too.”

“What Vince said back then? Did he mean it? Will one drop of blood cure one person?” Brenda asked.

“Remember when the boy James cranked out,” Thomas said, “Vince didn’t have to time to make a serum, he injected him with the tiniest bit of my blood, and now he’s fine. I’m not just a catalyst for a cure, I am the cure and we’ll never know why.”

“Let’s just say luck,” Minho said as they stopped the boat.

Brenda took hold of her old blanket crouching down in front of her daughter, she wrapped it around her eyes, “You need to keep this on until one of us takes it off, okay?”

“Okay,” Georgina nodded. Frypan reached down, picking her up; she rested her head on his shoulder.

Gally tied the boat up, hiding it behind the ruins of the building that Thomas, Brenda, Frypan and Newt had called home for over six months. They all stepped off, dodging the bodies as they walked. “What if we’re the only ones left?” Gally asked.

“We can’t be,” Thomas said, “People will always find a way to survive.” 


	4. His Name

**His Name**

“The world is being reborn,” Brenda was bent down by a roadside, which had bloomed with fresh grass and flowers, “I think WCKED were killing it because they used jets and cars. They used too much technology looking for a cure and probably almost killed the world along with it. Nature has had a chance to fight back to the surface.”

“I think we’ve escaped the dead bodies,” Gally whispered, “If you want to take her blindfold off.”

“She’s asleep now anyway,” Frypan told him.

A loud scream came in the distance, and they all turned to its direction, “Good old times.” Minho muttered. Thomas started to run, and everyone followed. They weren’t as quick on their feet as they had once been, but they soon found the source of the screaming.

There was a girl, she looked a bit younger than them. She was doubled over on the ground, clawing at it. She had dirty blonde hair, and her clothes were torn in multiple different places. She was screaming, as black blood dripped onto the floor from her mouth. “She’s turning,” Gally said.

Frypan backed out from around the corner, holding his daughter close.  
  
The girl looked at them, “Get the hell out of here, now!” She growled.

“We--we can help,” Thomas told her, he took a syringe out of his bag, and stuck it in his arm, taking out a tiny bit of blood. He crouched down in front of her, “Look at me, look at me,” he told her; she looked into his eyes, her pupils were pure black, and he could tell she was almost gone. “I’m gonna make you better.” He took her arm, and stuck the needle directly into her vein. She screamed, ripping it out and casting it aside. She fell back onto her knees as she got her breathing back to a normal pace.

“How---how did you do that?” She asked, breathing in small rushed breaths, she sat down on the ground.

“My blood is a cure,” he told her, “You should be fine.”

“You’re him, aren’t you?” She asked. “You’re Thomas.”

“Does everyone know you?” Minho said from behind, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I don’t know you personally,” the girl said, her hand on her chest, “But everyone knows your name. People were worried you were dead. We really need you.”

“Where do you come from?” Gally asked.

“My group is close by, we fight against the rebels who took down the last city,” she explained.

“Lawrence's group?” Thomas asked, “What did they do?”

“They want you dead, and they eat...people.” She explained, “Most of them aren’t even affected, but they act like animals.”

“I don't understand I thought they were against WCKED, like us,” Thomas said, “Why would they turn on us?” He paused for a second, wondering why these people hated him, when all he wanted to do was help.

“I don’t know,” she stood up, looking at her hands, “I’m Phoebe, by the way. If you’re Thomas, then who are all of you?”

“I’m Minho,” Minho said pointing at himself, “This shank is Gally, this is Brenda. And our friend Frypan is out there with their daughter Georgina.”

“Nice to meet you,” Phoebe grinned, “Okay, Thomas, is there any chance you can help my friends.”

“Sure,” Thomas nodded, “How many of there are you?”

“Around forty,” she said.

“That’s doable,” Thomas nodded, “Let’s go.”


	5. A hero

**A hero**

Phoebe led Thomas and his friends down a dirt road. It was now dark, and the only light they had was the full moon hanging in the sky. Thomas was now holding the sleeping Georgina, as Frypan had grown slow and tired from her weight on his shoulder. “So, how long did you have the flare?” Thomas asked.

“A few weeks,” she told them, “Whenever we get it, we all come here to die. It’s just what we’ve done for years now. Most of those Cranks back there are old friends of mine.”

“Is it still that common?” Brenda asked.

“If anything, it’s got worse, but the world around us is getting healthier,” she explained, “my sister says Mother Nature is fighting back.” She pulled back a bush to reveal a huge industrial building, it reminded Brenda of where she and Jorge had once lived. A group of girls were outside, by a fire, obviously guarding the building.

“Phoebe?” A single voice came from close by, it came from a girl stood next to the fire. Her voice had a string of sadness, and it was evident that she had been crying. She was identical to Phoebe, apart from a shorter haircut, “Phoebe!” She cried, bolting over; Phoebe ran forward colliding with her.

“Twins,” Minho muttered.

“Definitely,” Thomas nodded.

“How the hell are you alive?” Phoebe’s sister asked, “you’re not even turning.”

“They helped,” Phoebe pointed back.

“Wait...is that--is that Thomas?” She asked, “You found Thomas.” Phoebe nodded, “Oh my God.”

“Hi,” Thomas smiled.

“Guys, this is my sister, Amy,” Phoebe introduced.

Thomas smiled, “I would shake your hand, but I can't drop my niece.”

“You’re alive,” Amy said ignoring him, “Sorry, but we all thought you were dead.”

“Wait, quick question. How does everyone know what Thomas looks like?” Minho asked.

“Oh, wait here,” Amy trailed back to the building, leaning in the entrance and ripping a piece of paper off the wall, she walked back, handing it to Thomas. It was a poster of him, clean shaven and young. It was obviously printed from a WCKED database, “We broke into the rebels base and printed tons, you’re the only source of hope we have left.”

"You’re a hero,” Phoebe added.

“I’m not a hero.” Thomas shook his head.

“Come and see,” Phoebe walked off, and everyone followed. “Hey guys, I’m back!” Phoebe shouted when she got in, with that everyone in the place went silent, looking down from the beams, and seats they were all sat in. “And I brought help.” Thomas and his friends walked in. The silence was then replaced with thunderous applause, and people jumped down just to get close to Thoma but didn’t squash him when they realised he was holding a sleeping child.

“You’re a God, Thomas,” Minho whispered to him as they walked through.

“But why though?” Thomas asked.

“You’re the cure,” Minho told him, “For years, I think you are all they had left.”

They made it to a quiet spot, “Phoebe, how do people know I’m the cure?”

“The girl.” Phoebe told him, “The voice in the sky. We were only fourteen when it happened, but we heard it,” she explained.

“Teresa,” Thomas sat down.

“She said your name, and talked about how you saved Brenda. It split us rebels is half, some of us wanted to kill you and the others wanted to befriend you,” she explained, “But we all thought you died in the fall of the last city, like everything else.”

“How close is everyone in here?” Thomas asked.

“We’re like family,” Amy told him.

“Can you get everyone into an orderly line?” He questioned, “We’ll get everyone cured.”

Phoebe and Amy were able to get the group into an orderly line; they stood in front of a two chairs, and a table. Thomas handed the sleeping form of Georgina over to Brenda, “If you feel sick, promise me you’ll stop.”

“I promise,” Thomas nodded. He sat down, and took out a syringe for the first transition. Forty people, eighty syringes and two hours later, Thomas was done. He stood up, and wobbled slightly back. Minho was there to hold onto his arms, “The floor is soft,” he said, his voice slow.

“You need something to eat and then you need to sleep,” Minho told him.

“No, I don’t,” Thomas shook his head, but Minho dragged him along.

“Hey Phoebe, where can he sleep?” Minho asked.

“Down here, if he wants,” she pointed to a makeshift bed, Minho guided Thomas down onto the bed.

“Here,” Minho placed an apple into Thomas’s hand, “Eat it, you’ll feel better.”

“You’re the best Minho,” Thomas slurred as he bit into the apple.

“I know I am,” Minho stayed with him, until Thomas fell asleep with the apple in his mouth, he put his friend on his side, and took the apple with him. “He did it.” He said, sitting down next to all his friends.

“Anyone else weirded about how everyone just trusted Thomas to put his blood in them?” Frypan shuddered, “It seems so weird.”

“Well, he’s their last hope Fry, and we all know Thomas’s blood isn’t just a cure.” Brenda said.

“What do you mean?” Minho asked.

“Well, it’s kind of like a protection against everything. There is something in Thomas that is different to all of us, and he can’t get sick. Like with a cold, or anything worse. And I can’t either because his blood is just impossible.” Brenda explained. “And without resources, we’ll never know why.”

“Thomas has always been unanswerable.” Minho mocked.


	6. A felcon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters seem bigger on Google Docs :') Sorry for how short this chapter is!

**A Felon**

The group didn’t leave until mid-afternoon the day afterward because Thomas was still a little wobbly on his feet. Phoebe and Amy sent them off with bags of food, and the promise that if they ever needed their help, they’d be there straight away. “Thomas, did you donate too much too fast?” Brenda asked.

“Maybe,” he shrugged, “But hey, I saved all those people.” Thomas was behind them all, and he had already eaten his way through six apples.

“Look,” Georgina, who was holding her mother’s hand pointed over to something. It was an overgrown playground, there was a metal slide, and a swing set that was still stood upright. She separated from her mother and skipped over. All of them walked over, hovering around. Georgina had managed to sit down on a swing, “Come on Dad.” Frypan ran over, pushing her slightly into the air, she giggled.

“I feel like I know this place,” Gally said.

“Well, we were all kids once Gally,” Minho told him, “before WCKED, we probably played in a park once upon a time.”

“I don’t like it here,” Thomas said; the prolonged creek of the swing and the fact the old roundabout was moving in the wind, it sent chills up his spine. It was as if the playground had once been a place of fun and was now the scene from a nightmare.

“It might be creepy, but she doesn’t see it that way,” Brenda said pointing to her daughter, “She sees a wonderland.”

Minho wandered into the overgrown yellow grass, following a trial of wet paper on the ground; he hacked at the grass until he came across a brick wall, coated in posters. “Oh shit.” He turned back, “Guys!” They all ran forward, besides Frypan and Georgina.

“What?” Thomas looked at the wall. “Shit.”

The wall was coated with posters of him, not like what Phoebe and Amy had shown him. It was a wanted poster, there was a bounty on Thomas’s head, on his blood. “Okay Thomas, I know you want to save people, but I don’t think we can beat this. People will slaughter you if they see you, the price on your head is food and a place to live, people will tear you apart for that.” Brenda told him.

“I know,” he nodded, “We have to go home, we’re not staying here.”


	7. The Glue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I cried writing this*

** The Glue **

To Georgina’s disappointment, they started the walk back to the docks straight away. Georgina sat on Minho’s shoulders, and played with his hair, which he didn’t mind. “How are we going to save people if there is a price on your head?” Gally asked.

“No idea,” Thomas said, “Unless some of you come back with my blood. It’s not safe for any of us, especially her,” he pointed back to Georgina, “We just need to go home and rethink.” He stopped in his tracks, and everyone froze with him. “Can you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Minho asked. Without warning, gunshots were fired overhead; Minho took Georgina off his shoulders, and hugged her close to his chest, crouching down, using himself as a shield. Frypan pulled Brenda down; Gally and Thomas got onto their knees.

“Stop! Stop!” Thomas shouted, “You want me, not them!” The firing stopped, and a group of around ten people emerged. Gally almost recognized every single one of them, and they used to be is friends, but now, he wanted them all gone. Gally was stone cold on the outside, but he cared, and like everyone, he cared most about Georgina.

“Thomas, you have no idea how long we’ve been waiting for you to show up,” a woman, in her late thirties spoke, “We had almost given up all hope since our leader died.”

“Well, I’m here now,” Thomas said, “Just, let my friends go, please.”

“They can go,” she said, “I don’t care for them, only you.” She laughed.

“Get out of here now,” Thomas muttered to his friends, “All of you.”

“We can’t leave you,” Minho said.

“Go, now,” Thomas pleaded.

“We’ll help,” a man said; five men walked forward pushing Thomas’s friends back, Minho picked Georgina up, who had started crying. A man grabbed Thomas’s arm, twisting it into his back; he held a gun to the back of his neck. “We don’t actually need him alive. We just need his blood, so if you love your friend, I’d leave.”

All of them began to walk the opposite direction, Georgina’s eyes met Thomas’s, and he smiled at her, before they all turned a corner. The rebels waited around twenty minutes, to make sure his friends were really gone. Thomas was then forced to his knees, “You are all we have been looking for,” the woman spoke once more, she placed her hand on his cheek, “A cure.”

“I’m a person, actually,” Thomas said sarcastically.

“Get up,” she pulled him up, “You’re going to make us very popular.” She said, laughing, brushing him down.

“I lied,” Thomas kneed her in the stomach, knocking her to the ground. “I will not bow down to people like you, I escaped that when I brought down WCKED.”

“Kill him!” The woman shouted.

Thomas kicked back, disarming the man behind him, but he was still sleepy and disoriented from blood loss. He lost focus for one second, and then he felt a familiar burning pain in his stomach. He stopped, looking down to see that his cream-colored shirt was now a dark red. He placed his hand on the wound, coughing; he felt numb straight away, and he felt the ground beneath him fall away as he crashed down. He heard ten bullets being shot, and then ten bodies stumbling to the ground around him.

“Minho?” He questioned, thinking his friends had come back, “Gally?”

Someone near him moved. Thomas rolled to his side, opening his eyes; he could make out legs moving towards him. He held his breath, holding his side, trying not to cry out in agony. He prayed for the figure to be one of his friends, but his vision blurred and he couldn’t tell if they were moving closer, or further away. He soon felt a grasp on his shoulder, it made him shudder, but it comforted him. This person didn’t mean any harm to him, Thomas closed his eyes. He felt a gentle hand brush his hair back, and place a hand on his wound. Thomas could only hear a high pitched frequency in his head, which had started after he got shot, so he couldn’t tell if his rescuer was talking.

“You’re not dying on me,” a voice said. Thomas finally heard it, but it was distant and disorientated, he opened his eyes, but he could still only make out faint forms of a figure. “Hey? I’ve not waited this long for you to come back for you to die on me, okay?”

“Who---” Thomas blinked rapidly, looking up. He felt like someone kicked him in the chest, and stole his breath; his body shook, and he broke down into trembling sobs. “Newt?”

“Hey Tommy,” Newt smiled, tears running down his own cheeks. He placed a hand on his friend’s cheek, and then moved it to his arm, holding it tight, “Nice to see you again.” He grinned, “Let’s get you out of here.”


	8. Eight Years

** Eight Years **

Thomas shot up in a bed, he placed his hand on the sides, breathing in and out quickly through his mouth. He pressed his hand to his chest, trying to maintain a normal breathing pace. He looked around, not sure about where he was. The bed he was in was in the dead centre of the room, and the rest of the room was empty to an extent. There was a tiny table near him, with medical supplies stationed next to half eaten food. There was a small area to his left, where someone else had obviously slept on the floor as there were two blankets next to a pillow. He was sure he was back in the Safe Haven, as he knew that Aris, and the girls had been building new outbuildings for people to live in. However, he began to realise that the place was old, and abandoned.

“Morning,” a voice came from the doorway. Thomas stopped, not wanting to turn around, in fear it was his delirious mind trying to cover up that he was dying. “You scared me.” Thomas turned, and he was sure his heart jumped up into his throat at the sight.

Newt, as plain as day, was stood in the doorframe of the small house. He hadn’t changed much, Thomas wasn’t even sure his friend had aged. His hair was longer, and now stopped at his ears, but that was about it. He still had a small scar by his nose on the left-hand side of his face. He was Newt, and Thomas didn’t know how to take it. He just stared at him, “You’re not-”

“Dead?” Newt questioned, “I think I bloody know that!” He laughed.

“Am I dead?” Thomas asked.

“No, you’re not dead.” Newt walked over, “Neither of us are.” He knelt down in front of the bed, “It’s really good to see you, Tommy.” Thomas closed his eyes, tears fell down his cheeks. The emotion was raw, and Newt noticed that he had clearly hit a nerve; he could tell his ‘death’ was still like an open wound to Thomas. “Hey,” Newt got up, sitting next to him, “It’s okay.” He placed his arm around his friend’s shoulder, and Thomas fell into him, his whole body shaking.

“I killed you,” Thomas sobbed into his chest, “When you ran at me with that dagger, I pushed back on you and I killed you,” he looked up at Newt, who kept his arm wrapped around his back, “I caught you, and you died in my arms.” His defenses broke, and the words came out as separate cries, “You can’t be here.”

“Look,” Newt sniffled, “You’re going to make me cry. Firstly, you might have assisted in that dagger hitting me, but I turned it away so I didn’t hit you. So I hope for the last eight bloody years you haven’t blamed yourself for this. Also, that dagger saved my life.”

“What?” Thomas asked.

“I stabbed you with it first, remember?” Newt asked, Thomas nodded, “Your blood was on it, and your blood…”

“Is the cure,” Thomas finished, “But that doesn’t explain why your eyes were open, and you stopped breathing.”

“I was dying, that’s for sure, but I didn’t.” Newt explained, “I woke up underneath the rubble, I couldn’t breathe properly. My eyes stung, and I felt like I rebooted, like I died and came back again. And you were all gone.”

“I went to Teresa and Ava, but the others were with you. They had to leave because a building was going to collapse, they said it was the hardest thing they ever did,” Thomas cried.

“I know it was,” Newt nodded, “And I don’t blame them. The rebels saved me and knew I could lead them to you so they kept me. I escaped easily, and I’ve been here since.”

“What’s that been like?” Thomas asked, wiping tears out of his eyes.

“Hell,” Newt told him, “I went from thinking you all died, to thinking you were all at the Safe Haven and I couldn’t be there with you.”

“You can now,” Thomas bumped his shoulder with his. Newt’s walls broke, and he started to cry. “Oh,” Thomas hugged him tightly, “You’re coming home, Newt.”

“I bet a lot has changed,” Newt said, “In eight years.”

“It’s not that long.” Thomas told him, “You’ve not missed that much. The Safe Haven is a little like the Glade, but with more people. Minho teaches people how to rock climb, I do physical exercise like running. Gally and Brenda do fight training. Frypan teaches people how to cook properly.”

“What about Teresa?” Newt asked.

“She--ummm,” Thomas sighed, “She died when the city fell.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Newt rubbed Thomas’s arm, “I thought she’d get out. I can tell you don’t really want to talk about this….so, anything else?”

“Yeah, umm Frypan and Brenda got together,” Thomas said.

“No way!” Newt shouted, “How serious is it?”

“They have a daughter,” Thomas told him, and he watched Newt’s face drop in utter shock, “And they kind of got married, we don’t really know what marriage used to be like, so we made it our own.”

“They had a kid,” Newt said, dumbfound.

“Yeah, her name’s Georgina.” Thomas told him, “Named after both Brenda’s brother, who was called George and Jorge, whose name is the Spanish version of George.”

“How old is she?” Newt asked.

“She’s five tomorrow.” Thomas told him, “How long was I out?” 

“Four days,” Newt answered.

“Oh they’re going to be really worried about me, aren’t they?”

“I’d say so,” Newt nodded.

“I know where they’ve gone,” Thomas said.

“We can go, but slowly, you lost a lot of blood, and you’re in one of my good shirts, don’t tear it,” Newt joked. He got up and started packing his things together. Thomas watched him in awe, Newt was real and he was **alive**.

 


	9. Friends

** Friends **

“Georgina is not herself.” Brenda was sat outside the base where they Phoebe and Amy lived, where they had sought refuge since they had to leave Thomas behind. She was stood with Gally and Frypan, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked back to her daughter, who was walking around holding Minho’s hand, “It’s her birthday and she told me she doesn’t care.”

“She won’t be happy without Thomas,” Frypan said, “I don’t know why, but our kid thinks the world of him. He’s great and all, but Georgina looks at him and sees the whole world.”

“He tells her good stories,” Gally said, “And he was always there for her because he never really settled down at the Safe Haven.”

“Do you think he’s dead?” Brenda asked, both Frypan and Gally stopped, “We’re all thinking it, I’m just saying it,” she cried, “Because if he is, she will never understand it.”

“This is Thomas,” Frypan wrapped his arm around her, kissing the side of her head, “He’ll come back,” he started to walk inside, but his wife grabbed his hand, and he turned to look at her.

“What if he doesn’t?” She asked.

“He will,” Frypan told her, he started to walk in, and she followed. They all sat down near the main entrance, Georgina started to use everyone as a climbing from, moving from Brenda to Gally without touching the ground. She then hopped down running to Phoebe and Amy in the corner of the room.

“We should get her back to the Safe Haven,” Brenda whispered, so her daughter didn't hear.

“What about Thomas?” Minho asked.

“Some of us can stay behind to wait for him,” Brenda told him.

“Georgina, wait!” Phoebe shouted.

“She’s on the move,” Brenda got up, running outside after her daughter, with Frypan on her tail, “Georgina!” She stopped, smiling when she saw who Georgina had ran outside to see. Thomas was knelt down on the ground, with Georgina in his open arms.

“Hey Brenda,” he waved, as he hugged his niece close.

“You’re in trouble,” Brenda shook her head, everyone else ran out, stopping and letting out a big sigh of relief. Thomas picked Georgina up, and she lay into his shoulder. Gally, Minho, Frypan and Brenda charged forward, taking Thomas into a group hug.

“Not too tight,” Thomas moaned, “I was shot.”

“Wait, what?” Brenda shouted, they all backed up, “Again?”

“I haven’t been shot in eight years!” Thomas shouted.

“How did you patch yourself up?” Minho asked.

“I had help,” Thomas turned, pointing to a masked figure stood next to a car, he gestured for him to walk over.

“Who’s that?” Georgina asked.

“The man who saved my life,” Thomas told her.

Newt stopped by Thomas, shaking at the sight of all his friends, “Who’s this shank?” Minho pointed.

“That’s pretty hard to explain,” Thomas said, he turned to his friend.

Newt unzipped the side of his mask, and lifted it up over his head, shaking so that his hair didn’t blow in front of his face. He dropped the mask on the ground and turned to his friends. “Hey.”


	10. Impossible

** Impossible **

As soon as Newt lifted his mask over his head, everyone simultaneously stopped breathing for a few seconds. Minho was the first to move, he walked a few steps forward, he raised his hand, placing it on Newt’s shoulder. He let out a small sigh when he realised that Newt was real, and alive. Newt placed his hand over Minho’s, “Nice to see you too.” Newt grinned; Minho threw himself around him, Newt fell back slightly at the force, but settled into the hug, placing his hands on his friend’s back. “Hey, it’s okay.” Minho stepped back, not saying a word.

“How--how-” Frypan stuttered, he walked forward, poking Newt in the chest, “How the _hell_ are you alive?”

“That’s a very long story,” Newt chuckled, Fry fell into his friend’s arms, “And I’ll be happy to explain it.” Frypan stepped back, turning to Thomas, who was smiling from ear to ear.

“You don’t have to explain it,” Brenda said, running forward and throwing herself around him. “It’s just amazing to see you.” She held onto him tightly, rubbing his back with her hands. She pulled back, brushing the hair out of his face, “I gave up on miracles,” she said, smiling.

“Never do that,” Newt beamed. Brenda moved back, placing her arm around Frypan. “Hey, Gally,” Newt waved.

“You stole my act you shank,” Gally mocked.

“Hey, anyone can come back from the dead,” Newt shrugged,

“It’s good to see you.” Gally said.

“Good to see you too.” Newt grinned, he turned to Thomas, who was still holding Georgina, “Now, you must be Georgina.” The little girl nodded, but hid her face in her Uncle’s shoulder.

“Hey Georgina, you know who he is?” Thomas asked, she shook her head, “That’s your Uncle Newt.”

Georgina lit up, looking around at Newt. She smiled, and held her arms out, Newt walked forward taking her off Thomas. Georgina held tightly onto Newt, softly crying into his shoulder. “Hey,” Newt pat her back, “Did I do something wrong?” He asked, Brenda and Frypan shook their heads.

“A lot of the stories Thomas tells her have you in them,” Brenda began, “You’re her hero, I think.”

“I’d love to know these stories,” Newt laughed, “Hey Georgie.”

“He’s back ten seconds and he already has a nickname for her,” Frypan rolled his eyes, Georgina closed her eyes, resting into her Uncle’s shoulder.

“It’s his thing,” Thomas pointed out.

“That’s right, Tommy,” Newt laughed.

“Okay, I know Brenda said it doesn't matter,” Gally sighed, “But I need to know how….”

“I’ll tell you,” Newt said, “But first Thomas needs to rest, I did  
my best patching up his wound, but I’m no expert.”

“Yeah, let me see,” Brenda said. Thomas lifted his shirt up, Newt had bandaged over his wound, “Come with me,” Brenda took his arm, guiding him away; she sat him down on a bench.

“She’s the real medjack of the Safe Haven,” Frypan explained.

“But she could really work on her bedside manner,” Gally said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“She was angry at you because you dived off a cliff into the ocean when you were told not to,” Minho told him, “She didn’t want you to teach the kids bad behavior, that’s why she shouted at you.”

“Nothing’s changed then,” Newt laughed.

“Not much,” Minho looked at him, “Newt...look, if we knew that you were alive…”

“It’s okay,” Newt placed a hand on his shoulder, “I understand.”

“What happened?” Frypan asked.

“I guess you shanks left to save Thomas,” Newt started, “and I woke to half a building on top of me. I was lucky that the debree didn’t push the dagger down anymore because I would be dead. I was able to push myself out, and then a few of the rebels found me before I passed out. They patched me up, but not for a nice deed. They knew they could use me to get to Thomas.”

“Did you look for us?” Minho asked.

“Everyday,” Newt smiled, “But I looked for you, and I couldn’t find you. It was sad, but at the same time I was happy you shanks were safe. I made some friends, but they all left to find somewhere safe to live, and some left to find somewhere to die. I wasn’t always alone.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re not dead,” Minho beamed, “Wish it hadn’t been this stressful though.”

“Brenda’s worried,” Frypan said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“How do you know?” Newt questioned.

“I’m married to her, I always know when she’s worried,” Frypan said.

Brenda tapped Thomas’s back, and got up, walking to her friends. “I think we need Vince to check him over,” she said. “He has limited mobility, he can’t get warm, and he has a headache, which are normally signs of hypovolemic shock.”

“Hypovolemic shock?” Newt questioned.

“It happens after a drastic loss of blood. He donated blood the day before he was shot, so it makes sense,” she said, “But we need to get him back to the Safe Haven.”

“We can leave tonight,” Gally said.

“You okay there Newt?” Frypan asked, pointing to his daughter, who had passed out on Newt’s shoulder.

“I got her.” Newt smiled, “I mean I missed out on five years, so I’ll take her.” He began to walk forward when the hairs on the back of his neck stuck up on end, he turned around, holding tightly onto Georgina, “Get inside.” He told them all, “Now.”

“Why?” Frypan asked.

“See those headlights?” Newt gestured to small lights in the distance.

“Yeah,” Gally said.

“That’s the rebels, they’ve found us,” Newt said, “Get Thomas, and get inside now!” He charged back, with all of them close behind; Minho helped Thomas up, and they all ran inside, slamming the door shut, locking it. Minho sat Thomas down on a bench.

“Is there another way out?” Newt asked.

“Yeah,” Phoebe’s voice came from behind, “Around the back.”

“Get everyone out now, they will kill anyone to get to him,” Newt pointed, “I’ve watched them.”

“We need to get Thomas out,” Minho said.

“Yeah,” Newt handed the sleeping Georgina to Brenda, “Minho, we can get him out.”

“Sure,” Minho and Newt ran to Thomas, “Come on.”

“I don’t feel too good,” Thomas slumped down in his seat.

“That’s why we’ve got to get you back to Vince,” Minho explained.

“Ok,” Thomas moaned; they both picked him up, guiding him out of the building with people following behind. Minho felt sick to his stomach, because last time he had been in a situation like this he was guiding Newt along with Thomas, and those roles had changed, but it was still just as painful. To know that Thomas might not actually get back home. They got to back door, but the door opened, rebels stood close to them.

The rebels threw a small metal device on the ground, “Shit.” Newt said. With that, a gas was released and everyone slowly fell to the ground, unconscious.


	11. Blood

** Blood **

Newt woke up suddenly. He was still in the same building, and he was tied to a beam along with many strangers. He looked around, next to him was Minho, and he was still passed out. “Mummy,” a scared young voice came from behind him, he couldn’t turn to face her, “Daddy…wake up.” It was Georgina, and she was in floods of tears. Newt looked around, and realised he was the first to wake up along with Georgina.

“Hey Georgie, can you hear me?” Newt asked.

“Uncle Newt?” She questioned.

“Yeah,” Newt smiled, “Are you okay?”

“Mummy and Daddy won’t wake up,” Georgina cried, “And my arms are stuck.”

“I know,” Newt said, “It’s okay, they’ll wake up. Who else is over there?”

“Uncle Gally, and the two girls who helped us,” Georgina said, “Where is Uncle Minho and Thomas?”

“Minho’s here with me,” Newt looked around, “I’m not sure about Tommy, but I’m sure he is okay,” he lied, he noticed blood on his shirt.“Shit,” he said inaudibly, knowing it was Thomas’s. He reached his tied hands down and was able to get his dagger out of his pocket.

“Uncle Newt?” Georgina said, “Are you still there?”

"Yes, I’m still here,” he pushed his arms down, and the ropes split in half, he freed his arms, flexing his muscles, “You’re being really brave Georgie,” he got up off the ground, noticing that no one had been stationed to watch them, he knew the rebels were idiots, but not to this extent. He ran around the corner, his niece had been tied in-between both Brenda and Frypan, who were still out cold. She was sat on her knees, “Hey,” Newt knelt down in front of her, placing a hand on her cheek, brushing tears away, “It’s okay,” he used his dagger to free her, and before he could do anything else, she leaped into his arms, sobbing into his shoulder. As he held her with one arm, he cut the ropes around Brenda’s hands, and then pushed back on Georgina’s shoulder. “I’ve got to go and find Thomas, okay?” She nodded, “You’re in charge, when your mum and dad wake up, tell them to get everyone outside.”

“Okay,” she nodded, “Will you come back?”

“Yes, I promise,” he kissed her forehead, and ran out of the room.

When Newt got into the main complex of the building, his eyes laid on Thomas straight away. Thomas was tied to a wooden chair, his legs were bound to the legs of the chair, and his arms were tied behind. Thomas’s head was bowed down into his chest, and he was limp where he sat. His arm was attached to a line, where they were taking is blood into a container sat next to him. His breathing was so shallow that Newt could only just see his chest moving up and down.

Newt didn’t realise that he was crying until he felt them run down his cheeks, he wiped them back with his sleeve. Seeing his best friend tied up, and defenceless, brought back memories of everything that ever happened to him. It had been eight years, and now Newt understood how Thomas must have felt the day the last city fell. There were only ten rebels stationed around and Newt, who had worked for the rebels for a short period of time, knew their tactics, and he knew that they only traveled in groups of ten, to limit casualties. He counted eight people around Thomas, and the other two were stood by the main entrance out.

“I’m coming for you, Tommy.” He whispered, he darted back around the corner. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That moment you quote the fever code unintentionally...


	12. Breathe

** Breathe **

Newt went for the two positioned by the main entrance, as they weren’t seen by the people around Thomas. To his advantage, he used to know both of them. He hadn’t worked for the rebels in eight years, he had only stayed with them for a month at tops. “Hey,” he waved, peering from around the corner.

“Look who the cat dragged in,” one laughed, “The Betrayer,” he pointed his gun up at him.

“How bloody dare you,” Newt said, “Don’t you both know?” He whispered.

“Know what?” The other asked, taking aim.

“About Lawrence's mission for me?” Newt placed his hand on his chest when he asked, they both looked at each other confused, “You’re saying you don’t know? I thought he trusted the two of you.”

“What mission?” One asked.

“That I had to bring down Thomas, to get him to you. The shank trusted me once, it was very easy to get him to trust me again,” Newt grinned falsely, he felt horrible pretending to hate Thomas, and his friends, but in the end, it was the only way to save them.

“It took you eight years,” one said.

“I know. He’s been hiding, but I was able to get him here and now we’ve hit the buggin’ jackpot. We’ve won,” Newt chuckled, “So are you two going to lower the bloody guns or what?” He watched as they fell for it, placing their guns in their back pockets. Newt stepped forward, turning his back on one of them, and then he jumped, hitting one in the face, knocking him out. He grabbed the other, holding a gun to his temple, “You’re idiots.”

“Then kill me, show me what we’ve made you,” the guy said, “Because you’re fully aware that I have children.” Newt’s mind cast to Georgina, and he wondered how a rebel would feel if they held either Brenda, and Frypan at gunpoint with Georgina staring right back at them. Newt’s eyes landed on a metal pipe that went through the whole complex of the building, he saw water dripping off it.

“Running water,” he muttered, he was extremely surprised that Phoebe and Amy’s group had been able to source it, but he noticed that it traveled back out of the building, and he guessed it was coming from the river. He used one hand to take his second dagger out of his bag, and punch a hole in the pipe, it started to rapidly spit water onto the floor, draining into the next room.

“What the hell is going on back there?” A voice came from the next room.

Newt held the gun to the man’s head, “A pipe burst, we’ll find a way to stop it!” The man shouted back, “What is your plan?” He muttered.

“This,” Newt hit the gun off the back of his head, knocking him down. He leaned against the wall, and looked at the water on the floor. That’s when it hit him, he charged around back to everyone was being held captive, and was happy to see that the flood wasn’t reaching them in any way. He traveled back around the corner, his eyes locking on Thomas, he quickly slid pass when no one was looking and sat on the wooden beam behind his friend.

“The water is going everywhere, boss.” One woman moaned.

“Just ignore it.” The man in charge snapped.

Newt studied the chair Thomas was sat on, it was wooden and his feet weren’t touching the ground. Newt quickly took the plastic tube out of Thomas’s arm when the guards were distracted by the water, he tossed it to the ground, and placed his hands on Thomas’s back to keep him upright. With that, he took a electric pulse grenade from his backpack and pulled the pin and threw it into the water. It send waves of electricity into the ground, rendering all the guards unconscious.

Newt scrambled the ropes, untying the knots holding Thomas back. He stepped forward, taking both Thomas’s arms, and swinging him over his shoulder so that his head was hanging over Newt’s shoulder. “I got you,” he said, walking forward. His friend was not as heavy as he should have been, but Newt still struggled. He made it five steps forward, when he saw one of the men lying on the ground reach for a gun. “Shit.” Before the man could shoot, someone kicked him in the face, it was Minho.

“Come on!” Minho shouted, running around the corner. Newt followed, holding onto Thomas for dear life. Everyone was outside, around the back.

Newt gently lay Thomas on the ground, comforting his head with the palm of his hand, he looked up at his friends. Minho was stood closeby; Brenda, Frypan and Georgina were further away with Gally. He studied his friend, “He’s--” he cried, he looked up at everyone, “He’s not breathing!”


	13. Live

**Live**

Brenda was the first next to Newt and Thomas, she collapsed by the side of them, taking Thomas’s limp hand and pressing her fingers against his arm. Newt sat on the other side of Thomas, staring at Brenda in hope that she’d tell him he was wrong, and his friend was okay. “There’s no pulse,” she said, “Newt, I need you to help me with this.” She gently laid Thomas out straight.

“Resuscitation?” Newt questioned, Brenda nodded, “I saw the medjacks do it sometimes,” he told her, “What do I do?”

“Give him two breaths when I tell you to,” she linked her hands together, pressing them onto Thomas’s chest, and compressing a couple of times into a rhythm. “Now,” she pulled back, and Newt pinched Thomas’s nose, and locked his mouth around his, breathing for him, and Brenda carried on with chest compressions. “Come on Thomas!” Brenda begged, trying not to let emotion take over. Everyone else watched on in horror, Gally was the closest to Georgina and had been able to pick her up in time, and turn her away from the scene unfolding in front of him. He watched on, tears glistening in his eyes.

Thomas did not show any signs of life. He was cold to the touch, that shocked Newt every time he had to perform mouth-to-mouth. Thomas’s skin was a light grey colour, that almost shone in the darkness outside, and his lips had faded to a light blue colour. The minutes felt like hours, and every time they tried again, hope drifted further apart. Newt hadn’t tried to hide his crying, but Brenda had, for everyone’s sake. However, ten minutes in, her walls broke, one by one, and she started to cry as she gave thirty more chest compressions.

“Guys…” Minho stepped forward, “I think he’s gone.”

“No,” Brenda snapped, “Let me try.”

“Bree,” Frypan stepped forward, placing his hand on her shoulder as she fell back onto her feet. She stood up, wobbling back. Newt hadn’t realised what a strain it had put on her, she turned, falling into Frypan. She did not break quietly, it was horrible to see and to listen to, everyone around her were able to channel her pain.

“Newt,” Minho placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. Newt looked up to see Georgina escape from Gally’s arms, and run to her parents, crashing into them as she broke.

“I’m not giving up yet.” Newt quickly found a rhythm, thirty seconds of chest compressions, and then he tilted his friend’s head back, giving him two breaths of air. Everytime, Newt felt himself grow tired, and also the small voice in the back of his head telling him to stop was growing louder. He took in one last breath for Thomas, and then fell back onto his feet, Minho placed his hands on his shoulders. “Please Tommy…” Newt cried. Thomas erupted in a fit of coughs, his whole body shifting.

“Oh thank God,” Frypan sighed.

Newt held tightly onto Thomas’s arm, “I bloody love you,” he whispered to his friend.

 


	14. Home

**Home**

Jorge knew something was wrong when the boat docked at the Safe Haven, and only Gally got off. He darted over, Vince on his tail. “Where are they?” Jorge asked; the thought of Brenda, Frypan, Thomas, Georgina or Minho being hurt was at the forefront of his mind, and it was a thought he had all his life, at every moment. He remembered the duty of care he had towards all of them, they were his only family after all, and when they lost Newt, Jorge knew he’d protect the rest of them until the day he died.

“Brenda and Georgina are fine,” Gally said first, “It’s Thomas.”

“What about him?” Vince asked.

“He was shot by the rebels, and they tried to drain him,” Gally explained, “He was not breathing for at least half an hour. Brenda and Newt were able to bring him back.”

Vince when to ask further questions, completely not registering Gally’s words, Jorge placed his arm in front of Vince, which was a polite way of telling him to shut up. “Did you just say Newt?” Jorge asked.

“Well, yeah,” Gally nodded, “It’s hard to explain, but he’s not dead.”

“That makes no sense,” Vince said.

“It’s true,” Gally told them, “And you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”

“How long was Thomas not breathing?” Vince asked.

“Around half an hour,” Gally answered.

“Okay, we better head over there,” Vince said, “I’ll get the supplies.”

* * *

“They’re here,” Brenda said, she was stood on the side of the docks. She pointed out at the boat. Newt was sat close behind, with Thomas’s head rested on his lap. Georgina had once again fallen asleep in her father’s open arms. Minho was sat near Newt, contemplating everything that had happened to them in the past few days.

They were back at the docks. Now on a side where there were no dead Cranks covering the ground.

Jorge and Vince were soon with them, Gally close behind them. They both froze when they saw Newt, who had barely aged a day since they had last seen him. “You’ll get over that shock,” Gally told them both, “We all have.” Vince moved first, carrying over a pillow; Jorge just kept staring at the sight, he felt Brenda place her hand on his shoulder.

“Hey Vince,” Newt said.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, young man,” Vince started, “But let’s check Thomas over first, hey?” With Newt’s help Vince lifted Thomas up, laying his head on the pillow, he mumbled in his feverish sleep but didn’t stir.

Newt found his footing, but was soon knocked back by Jorge hugging him, “Hey,” Newt said, “It's good to see you too.”

“I gave up on miracles, _hermano_.” Jorge pushed back on his shoulders.

“Brenda said the same thing,” Newt grinned.

“But you have changed that,” Jorge smiled, “For the both of us,” he said looking to Brenda, who nodded.

“Is he okay?” Minho asked Vince.

“It is clear that he is really ill,” Vince said standing up, “I don’t want to move him to the Safe Haven yet.”

“We can use this building,” Newt said, “We did eight years ago.”

“Yeah, we can do that.” Vince nodded.


	15. Dreams

** Dreams **

Thomas woke with a heavy weight on his chest. He coughed lightly and brought his hands to his eyes, rubbing them. He did not want to open his eyes, the light beaming on his face was harsh and hurt his head. The saddest thought crossed his mind - what if he had been shot on the street by the rebels, and everything else had been a dream? He had dreamed about Newt coming back before, not as vividly, but his mind like to play tricks on him when he was hurt.

“Hey,” a voice came from the corner of the room. Thomas let out a small chuckle, “You with us?”

“You’re not a dream,” Thomas muttered, his throat hoarse. He opened his eyes, turning his head to watch Newt take a seat in front of him, “I was so scared that you were still dead.”

“I’m here, Tommy,” Newt smiled, he placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “And I am not going anywhere anytime soon.”

“What happened?” Thomas asked.

“A lot,” Newt said, “You were drained of a lot of blood, and you weren’t breathing for about half an hour. Brenda and I had something to say about that though.”

“Thank you,” Thomas smiled, “How long was I out and why do I hurt all over?”

“Almost three weeks,” Newt began, “We broke your ribs when we were trying to bring you back, and you were shot if you recall, and before you ask obvious questions, no we are not in the Safe Haven. And only Vince and Jorge know I’m still alive right now.”

“Okay…” Thomas sighed, “When can we go home?”

“Soon,” Newt told him, “I’ll go and tells the others you’ve finally woken up.”

“Newt,” Thomas said.

“Yeah?” Newt turned around, facing him.

“I bloody love you too,” Thomas grinned. The colour in Newt’s cheeks faded, and he backed out of the room.

* * *

Three days later, Thomas was given the green light to go home. He was able to walk by himself to the boat, with hardly any help from both Minho and Newt. When he was sat down, his niece gently laid into his side, clasping his hand. Newt sat down on his other side, resting at the back of the boat, “I’ve been waiting eight years for this,” he said.

“You’re gonna love it,” Thomas told him.

“It’s so cool!” Georgina exclaimed, “And fun! Where are you going to live? Everyone had to build their own places.”

“Then I guess I’ll build my own place,” Newt grinned.

“She will commentate this whole trip, by the way,” Thomas warned him, he watched Minho get up and try and leave the boat. Everyone erupted into fits of laughter, “So close.”

“Slim it, shank,” Minho cursed jokingly, he sat down and saw his niece giving him an evil glare, “Sorry.”

Georgina jumped up, “Let me show you Uncle Newt,” she took his hand, and he stood up. She started to talk to him about the sea, and how she saw sharks everywhere. Newt seemed to be the missing part of everything, he lit up the world in a way Thomas had not seen in a long time. Everyone was smiling, and Georgina was laughing louder than ever before in her life.

Thomas didn’t realise how lost he had been in mourning his friend, and how now that he was back, everything in the world was good again. He could watch Newt for hours and never tire. He knew those eight years could never be given back, but it was worth the long wait.

The long journey seemed like five minutes, when they pulled up on the docks. A crowd gathered to welcome them home, “They don’t know I’m alive yet,” Newt mumbled, he gestured at Aris, Sonya and Harriet who were stood at the front, “This is weird.”

“You’re home,” Minho told him, “Come on, let’s scare the klunk out of Aris.” He opened the door, and walked off with Gally. Georgina charged into the crowd, and wrapped herself around Harriet’s knee.

“Ready?” Brenda asked, turning to both Newt and Thomas.

“No idea,” Thomas said, pushing himself up.

“Me neither,” Newt shrugged.

“Let’s do this,” Thomas walked behind Brenda and Frypan, and he was met by applause from the camp.

“Yeah, the ugly shank is back!” Minho exclaimed, everyone laughed.

Thomas looked back at Newt, before stepping to the side to let him through. The noise of the crowd almost silenced, not everyone knew who he was, but by stories, and drawings Thomas made for stories he told the children, everyone knew exactly who he was, he nervously waved at them. “Newt?” Aris questioned.

“I’m back,” he grinned, “If you’ll take me.”

After a few seconds of silence, Minho shouted, “Three cheers for this shank who has fought every day to keep the rebels away from us, in the full knowledge that we all thought he was dead,” with that the camp erupted into clapping and cheering for Newt’s return.

In the mess of the celebration, Brenda was able to pull Newt aside. “You doing okay?”

  
“Yeah,” Newt shrugged, “It feels good to be here.”

“Look, we have a small unused hut you can live in for now,” she explained, “It’s behind Thomas’s.” She pointed to it, “I know you two need to do a lot of catching up.”

“Why do you keep smiling like that?” Newt asked.

“What?” Brenda asked, her voice going high pitched.

“Like that,” he pointed.

“I need to ask you something,” Brenda said, he nodded, “The way Frypan looks at me, I see it all the time, it’s love...I guess. I can get lost looking at him for hours. That look that he gives me, the look people on the island who are in love give each other every single day is the exact same look you have when you look at him,” Brenda pointed to Thomas, who was stood talking to Aris. “My question is, do you love him?”

Newt was caught off guard by her question, and he stumbled over his words, “Even if I did…”

“He likes you too,” Brenda told him.

“How do you know that?” Newt asked.

“Georgina,” Brenda smiled. “She stays with Thomas for bedtime stories and then comes home to sleep. One night she got back in, and sat me down, she wanted to ask a big question. She asked me if Uncle Thomas loved Uncle Newt the same way that I love her Dad. Newt, if a five-year-old can see it, it’s there.”

“I don’t know how to tell him,” Newt said, tears forming in his eyes.

“Just don’t leave it too long,” Brenda grinned, “You’ve both waited long enough.”

Newt walked down the pathway, many thoughts in his mind. He got to Thomas, and his friend started to talk, “What do you think then - this place is amazing, right?” Newt stepped forward, taking Thomas into a kiss. At first, Thomas had no idea what was going on, but then he settled into it, resting his hands on Newt’s side, as Newt lay his hands on Thomas’s face. The world fell away beneath them like they had both been waiting for this day for the entire lives. They parted, leaning their heads together, “I’ll take that as a yes then.”

“Yes.” Newt nodded.

 


End file.
